


Flirty Words

by LonelyGormagander



Category: Black Panther (2018)
Genre: F/M, Jealous!Bucky, Jealous!Shuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-05-13 13:55:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19252555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LonelyGormagander/pseuds/LonelyGormagander
Summary: Shuri wants Bucky; Bucky wants Shuri. But no one wants to make a move. Jealousy ensues.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I will post three chapters of this.
> 
> I appreciate you reading,
> 
> Your Eager Writer.

The bright Wakandan sun warmed the lazy afternoon as Shuri walked with Bucky along the parapet near the training grounds. She had not seen him in almost two weeks since she had been undertaking outreach work abroad, and wanted to give him the small gift she had acquired for him whilst she was in his homeland. It was a small American flag lapel pin. His eyes lit up when he saw the thoughtful gift. He placed it into the pocket of his pants for safe keeping, promising to wear it with his civilian clothing.

“How was the rest of your trip?” he asked, his breath hitching at the way the sunlight reflected in her pretty brown eyes.

“Fruitful,” she answered, happily. “When we’re ready to launch, you have to be there, Buck.”

“Of course I’ll be there,” he replied. “I am part of your personal guard.”

“Yeah, but you’ve been super busy working for my brother lately. I never get to see you.”

“I owe the King,” he said, feeling slightly guilty that working with the new recruits for the Wakandan army did take him away from the Princess. They had grown close over the two and a half years he had been in service of the royal family. “It’s the least I can do.”

“Yeah, but you must enjoy it,” she mused, feeling slightly guilty for making him feel bad.

“It has its perks,” he replied with a grin.

Just then, two of the recruits approached. They were young women, a little older than Shuri. Each beautiful and strong in their own right. They nodded their heads at the same time out of respect of their princess and then smiled at the White Wolf.

“Hey, Bucky,” said one with a sing-song-like cadence that immediately annoyed the Princess. “Training was fun today.”

“Yes,” said the other young woman, vying for his attention. “You really gave me a good workout.”

He smiled, nodded his head, and then said, “Thanks girls. Glad you’re havin’ a good time. We’ll do it all again tomorrow.”

One let out a little giggle, and the other beamed brightly at him.

“Okay, Bucky,” said one.

“Thank you, Bucky,” said the other.

Both walked away, but turned back to look at him and continue to giggle.

“ _He he he he he. Oh Bucky, thank you for the workout_ ,” said Shuri as she mocked them.

“What?” he asked, as he turned to face the Princess.

“That’s the best Wakanda has to offer?” she said, highly annoyed for reasons that she was not ready to admit to herself.

“Anika and Tayara? They’re good, strong fighters,” he said, defending them from her somewhat harsh appraisal.

_“Anika and Tayara_ ,” she said mockingly. “They should be more concerned about training than flirting with you.”

Bucky bit back an amused smile. The Princess obviously did not enjoy the attention he received from other women. He would be lying if he said her small outbursts of jealousy did not tickle him.

“They’re not flirting,” he said. “Just being _friendly._ ”

“Pfft,” she said, while rolling her eyes. “Since when did you inspire anyone’s friendliness, White Wolf?”

“You’re always friendly with me, Princess,” he replied in a flirtatious tone that caused her skin to grow warm. When he looked at her that way and spoke with his voice low, she couldn’t help but melt.

“True,” she supplied while softening up and gifting him with a smile.

“That’s better, doll face,” he said, wearing a grin of his own. “I don’t like it when you’re annoyed with me.”

“I’m not annoyed with you,” she scoffed. “Just with them.”

“Why is that?” he asked, wanting her to admit that she couldn’t stand to think of any other woman in his orbit, just how he felt about the prospect of other men near her.

“Because – because they should be focussed on training –” said Shuri as she folded her small, toned arms over her chest.

Disappointment washed over him when she steered away from the conversation he so desperately wanted to have with her, but he recovered quickly, mirroring her crossed arms.

“You heard their feedback,” he countered. “They’re obviously happy with the training regime.”

“They’re happy with _something_ , all right,” she murmured.

“Sorry?”

 “You know, the Romans had these interesting naming conventions: praenomen; nomen; cognomen. They came up with middle names, even nicknames. Names are important.”

“You got me lost, Princess,” he interjected.  

“Names, James, they’re important.”

He sighed, she was annoyed again, evident by her usage of his given name.

“What about it, Shuri?” he asked, growing a bit irritated with her irritation.

“The way you address someone is important, especially when rank and all that is involved.”

“You don’t believe all o’ that,” he replied, as he narrowed his eyes questioningly.

“Don’t I?” she replied. “I called you Sergeant Barnes for _months_ after we first met _.”_

“And I told you not to –”

“Yeah, well. It took more than a couple weeks before I called you Bucky.”

“Princess, I really don’t know why we’re havin’ this conversation right now.”

“Tiana and Anakin.”

“You mean Anika and Tayara.”

“Whatever,” she said while rolling her eyes again. “They should know better.”

“Know what, doll face? Because I’m confused as all hell myself.”

“They’re out in these Wakandan streets referring to their commanding officer by his nickname,” she said with another roll of her eyes. “It’s fucking disrespectful.”

“Princess, I’m not anyone’s commanding officer,” he said. “I’m just helpin’ your brother out.”

“It should be Sergeant Barnes, or nothing,” she said sternly. “Certainly not _Bucky_ this, and _Bucky_ that. That’s too casual. Too – _familiar._ ”

“Everyone calls me Bucky,” he offered.

“Does everyone giggle and bat their eyelids when they call you Bucky?”

“Only King T’Challa,” he offered as a way of a joke, causing a little smile to creep over her face.

“Stop it,” she said somewhat playfully as she went shove his shoulder. “I’m trying to be serious.”

He smiled as he caught her small hand in his, and then said, “I got a enough serious for both of us. You just stick to being the smartest, kindest, funniest person I know, okay?”

She felt her heart flutter inside of her chest, and she knew then, by reading the softness of his gaze, that the flirty words of other women did not matter to him in the slightest.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get intense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took so long to get the second chapter posted!

“So, the tactic we’re looking at today it to make your opponent feel unbalanced in close combat as soon as possible,” said Bucky, as he stood in front of the recruits. “You need to make sure that they don’t have time realize what you’re doin’. They need to be disrupted quickly. There are a lot of ways to interfere with their stance; you being constantly on the offensive is one tactic. Don’t give them the chance to breathe. Keep striking at them. Never let up. When you find a weakness, use it to you advantage, and hurt them.”

“We need to ensure that our opponents are shaken?” asked Tayara.

“Yes,” Bucky said. “Don’t ever let them feel comfortable in the tussle.”

Training resumed, and those who were parrying were almost worn out. The recruits who were attacking gave all that they had. After around twenty minutes of alternating attack and parry manoeuvres, Bucky called the recruits in to take a short break. He was relentless in training them, but allowed them time to recover.

“Take a bathroom break,” he said. “When we come back, I’ll need a volunteer to spar with me so I can see what we’re workin’ with.”

“I volunteer,” said Tayara as she was walking okay, a smirk playing on her features.

“All right,” Bucky answered with a grin. “Can’t wait to see whatcha got.”

___

 

Tayara swung the spear and lunged forward. She lifted the weapon and made sure that she held the spike away from her body. She swung it again, and barely missed Bucky this time as he spun and shifted to the side. He was taken aback by her speed, but recovered, and held his ground.

“Find my weakness,” he supplied.

Tayara lifted the weapon once more. She brought it behind her back before spinning around and striking at her teacher. He was swift and strong; it was difficult to land any hits. She was skilled in hand-to-hand combat, but was phenomenal with the spear; Bucky was impressed.

“That’s a nice pin you have,” she said, a little short of breath as she referred to his lapel pin that Shuri had given him; the red, white, and blue shimmered in the afternoon sun. “Where did you get it?”

“The Princess gave it to me,” he said, waiting for her next move as she artfully whipped the spear around to buy some time and some kind of respite. “She brought it back from one of her trips abroad.”

“Oh, it’s nice,” said Tayara, as she took her stance and swung at her trainer once more. “Does she give gifts to all the eligible bachelors?”

“No,” said Bucky, somewhat annoyed by the question. “I don’t know.”

Tayara swung the spear once more and Bucky ducked.

“So, she gifts everyone with such things?”

“Not at all,” Bucky answered, as he stepped to the side, avoiding the sharp end of the weapon.

“Right,” said Tayara. “So, what’s going on between the two of you?”

“Nothin’,” said Bucky, as he took up a defensive stance and took his eye off the spike a minute.

“Are you certain?” said Tayara.

“Yes.”

“Okay,” she huffed, as she struck at Bucky once again. “So, you’re not fucking the King’s little sister, then?” she asked as she lunged forward. The spear connected with Bucky’s arm. He let out a pained cry, and then stepped back as he leaned over to catch his breath.

“What the fuck was that?” he asked, as he looked up at the young woman.

“Trash talk,” said Tayara, as she shrugged her shoulders. “I thought –”

“Don’t you ever talk about the Princess like that again,” he chided, as he stood up straight and held his arm.

“Did I hit a nerve?”

“You show her respect, or you pack your shit and leave right now,” he seethed.

“I’m sorry,” said Tayara, honestly confused by what had just happened.

“Save it,” he replied before looking to one of the more seasoned recruits and saying, “Take over until I get back.”

___

 

The Princess had shown Bucky how to disable the sensory receptors in the arm she had made just for him. Sometimes he left them activated when he was training. It made him a better fighter, to be able to feel his way around the training grounds. It also reminded him of when he had full control over all of his faculties. But since the vibranium spear connected with his prosthetic, the jarring pain that shot through it persisted. He had taken the arm into battle before, but it had never been struck by the same metal it was fashioned from. He needed Shuri to check it out. Truth be told, he was more worried about having damaged Shuri’s handiwork than he was about the injury to himself.

___

 

“How’s it looking?” asked Bucky as he watched Shuri check the scans on her holo-screen.

She raised her hand to quiet him, signalling she was concentrating and not ready to speak just yet. He understood and closed his lips while waiting patiently. After a moment, she lifted her eyes and gave him an unimpressed look.

“How on earth did someone do even the slightest bit of damage?” she asked, more to herself than to him.

“It’s my fault,” he offered. “I let them use the vibranium weapons. It was probably too soon.”

“Oh, I know it’s your fault,” she chided, annoyed with him. Bucky let out a small yet exhausted sigh. “Which one was it? Tiana or Anakin?”

“Shuri –”

“I know it had to be one of them,” she continued. “Probably batted their lashes at you and you handed the spears over.”

“Goddamn it, Shuri,” he said, tired of her thinking these women had that kind of influence over him. They were nothing more than fellow soldiers and he respected them as such. “It’s not like that.”

“What’s it like?”

“We were sparring with the weapons and I got a little banged up,” he explained, leaving out the part about how the recruits brash words got to him; he was still angry about what Tayara had said in front of everyone, and it seeped into his exchange with Shuri. “It happens. Why are you makin’ such a big deal out o’ this? Why do you care so much who did it? Would it be better is it was one of the guys instead of the gals? Why don’t you tell me what’s really buggin’ you about this.”

“Whatever, James,” she replied, as she pretended to busy herself. “They can flirt-fight with you all they want.”

“Can they?”

“I don’t care about them,” she said sternly, as she turned to face him. “I care about my arm.”

“ _Your_ arm?” he asked with a slight chuckle, before standing up and moving toward her. She lifted her chin and stared him down

“Yes,” she answered. “ _My_ arm. I built it for you, and I don’t want to see it damaged because some recruit is too distracted by giggling and flirting with you at training that she almost puts a spear through it.”

He let out an audible sigh and then rubbed his flesh hand across his creased brow before inching closer to her.

“Shuri,” he said, almost pleadingly. “That’s not how it happened. The recruits are good fighters, they deserve to train with the best weaponry to get them ready. I won’t apologize for helpin’ them to protect this place I care about; the people I care about.”

She locked her eyes on his and he all but melted. She really did have a calming effect on him. He stared down at her with a gentle expression and she almost forgot how annoyed she was with him for getting himself injured. Bucky reached his hand up and took one of her braids between his vibranium fingers.

“But I will apologize for damaging the arm,” he added sincerely. “And for upsetting you.”

“For Bast’s sake, Bucky,” said Shuri. “I don’t care about the arm; I care about you. I can always build another arm, but if anything happens to you –”

“Princess,” he whispered. “You don’t have to explain.”

“I do,” she said, gripping hold of his shirt and noticing the pin. “If you got hurt, and I couldn’t fix you again, I’d be lost, Buck.”

“You don’t have to worry about me,” he said softly, his hand itching to caress her face.

“Of course I do,” she replied, tears welling in her deep, brown eyes. “I’ll always worry about you because I –”

“Shhh,” he supplied. “Please, you don’t have to say it. You don’t.”

“I want to,” she said, almost pleadingly. “Because it’s true. I _care_ about you, Buck.”

At hearing that, he closed his eyes for a moment.

“I care about you, too, doll face,” he whispered. “I care about you _too_ much.”

She stared at him with bright doe eyes, hopeful and full of promise. He stared back with sad blue eyes dotted by flecks of green; eyes that told of all the things he had seen, but in that moment, were so filled with love that it made her breath catch in her throat.

His gaze fell to her lips; she noticed. Her heart beat wildly with anticipation. She was afraid he could hear it. She looked from his mouth, back to his eyes and waited. She waited for what she was sure was coming. Her lids almost closed when he leaned in closer. She could feel his warm breath on her lips, and then – _nothing_. He withdrew and then stepped back as he cleared his throat.

“I, uh, I gotta get back to training,” he said, as he mentally kicked himself. Firstly, for allowing himself to get swept up in the moment and almost kissing the Princess; secondly, for _not_ kissing the Princess. Tayara’s words echoed in his mind. People noticed the connection between him and Shuri. They saw that there was something between them, simmering just under the surface. He wouldn’t let the Princess be spoken about in rude, hushed tones and gossiped about because of him.

“Bucky?” she said, with confusion and embarrassment etched across her face.

“I’m sorry, Princess,” he offered, as he backed away. “I really do have to get back. I left a recruit in charge. Your brother will have my ass if somethin’ goes wrong. But, thank you for checkin’ me over. I’ll be more careful next time.”

There was a hint of pain behind her stare, and he hated himself for hurting her. She felt silly for admitting that she cared about him. It was obvious he didn’t feel the same, even though he had said he did. Bucky gave Shuri an apologetic look, and then turned to leave. She said nothing as she watched him walk away.

___

Shuri walked quickly with determination. She did not understand why Bucky would be so gentle with her, get so close to her, and then leave her alone and confused. She knew he was at the training grounds, so made her way there to find him. She would get answers from him, one way or another.

As she approached, she saw Bucky standing off to the side while the recruits ran drills and went through their battle motions. She had to admit that the recruits were in fine form. They would be welcome additions to the ranks of the Wakandan military.

The Sergeant called out, and they all stopped training. He waved them off, and they took a break. As Shuri got nearer, she saw one of the recruits walking over to Bucky. It was one of the young women who had been flirting with him previously. Shuri instinctively rolled her eyes but continued walking until she was close enough to hear the giggle in the woman’s voice.

“Really, it doesn’t hurt anymore,” said Bucky; he didn’t notice the Princess right away.

“It’s amazing,” Anika offered, as she brought her hand to his arm. She ran he sleek fingers over the vibranium. If Bucky felt anything, he did not let it show. “It’s like it wasn’t even damaged.”

“Your Highness,” said Anika as she bowed her head. Bucky turned his, and instinctively stepped away from the recruit.

“Princess Shuri,” he said. “What are you doin’ out here?”

“I needed a word with you,” she said, keeping her eyes on Anika a second too long. “But you seem busy.”

“We’re taking a break right now,” he offered. “So, if you wanted to, we could talk now.”

“No, it’s okay,” she replied. “I can see you really _are busy_. I’ll come and find you at a more convenient time.”

“Excuse me, Princess,” said Anika. “Would you do us the honor of watching us train?”

_She’s certainly not shy,_ thought Shuri with a raised eyebrow.

“Thank you for the offer,” said Shuri. “I don’t have the time this afternoon.”

“Maybe tomorrow?” said Anika. “We could arrange a show for you, isn’t that right, Bucky?”

He glanced at the recruit, and then looked at Shuri.

“I’m sure the Princess has better things to do than watch us,” he said, noting the irritation radiating from Shuri.

“I’d love to observe training,” said Shuri with a courteous smile. “I could report back to the Council about Sergeant Barnes’ progress and leadership.”

“Oh, I can assure you, Your Highness,” said Anika as she gave him an adoring stare. “He’s perfect. I’ve never worked with someone as good as Bucky.”

Shuri gave them both an unimpressed glare, and then said, “Yeah, he’s one in a million.”

___

The towel that Shuri pressed to her face to wipe excess sweat felt soft. She tossed it aside, and then tightened the Velcro straps around her wrists, ensuring her training gloves were secure. The Palace gym was empty, except for her. She played electronic music and worked out. It was a good way to unwind after a long day. Just as she was about to move to the punching bags, the doors opened and in stepped Bucky Barnes.

He spotted the Princess and stopped in his tracks. He let his eyes roam over her small frame. She was wearing a sports bra and tight leggings; the outfit left very little to the imagination. Sweat covered her long, slender arms. His gaze fell to her ass when she sighed and turned her back on him.

“What are you doing in here, James?” she asked. “This is the _Palace_ _gym_ ; the public gym is near the training grounds.”

“T’Challa said I could use the Palace gym whenever I wanted to,” he replied, a little dismayed that she was still in a mood with him.

“We both know the super soldier serum has accelerated your metabolism,” she supplied. “You don’t need to work out. You’re always in great shape, so why are you here?”

“I needed to blow off steam.”

“Didn’t blow off enough at training?” she asked with a snarky tone. “Thought Anakin would’ve given you a _good_ workout today. She sure seemed like she wants to get physical with you.”

“Shuri.”

“Whatever,” she replied.

“Princess, please don’t be like this with me,” he said as he stepped toward her.

“It’s none of my business,” she said before taking an offensive stance. “Enjoy blowing off your steam.”

She rolled her shoulders, and then began to lay into the punching bag. She struck it almost wildly; it felt great to hit something. The bag swung side-to-side with every strike.

“Can we talk now?” he asked. She kept her eyes on her target and landed her punches.

“Increase volume and play _Holding Sixty Dollars on a Burning Bridge_ ,” said Shuri to the AI system, and the loud guitar riff of the hardcore punk song blared from the speakers.

Bucky sighed loudly. He was still not used to modern music, if one could call what was blasting through the gym music, and her insistence on playing it now was frustrating him. He stepped even closer, and then placed his hands on the punching bag, effectively holding it in place for Shuri. She peered around it and looked into his eyes, before continuing her assault. He said nothing while she pummelled the bag as the loud music filled the air.

After two fast-paced songs finished playing, Shuri stopped punching the bag.

“Decrease music volume,” she said, and she wiped the sweat away with her wrist; Bucky found her towel and handed it to her as she said, “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” he replied. “Feel better?”

“Yeah,” she supplied. “It really does feel good to blow off steam.”

Her mood sweetened as she walked by Bucky to get her water bottle.

“Can we talk, now?” he asked, looking hopeful.

“I guess,” said Shuri “What did you want to talk about?”

“Well, when you came to see me at the training grounds earlier today, you had something you wanted to talk about, so I thought we could pick it up from there,” said Bucky.

“All right,” Shuri said, as she folded her arms in front of her body. “In my lab, when you came to get your arm checked over, I told you I cared about you. You said you cared for me, too; did you mean it?” she asked, getting straight to the point.

“Yes,” he said immediately, folding his arms as well. “I meant what I said.”

“And it felt like we were, I don’t know, like there was _something_ there between us,” she said softly as she looked to the floor. “Did you feel it?”

Bucky nodded his head, even though she was not looking at him, and then said, “Yeah, I felt it.”

Shuri lifted her gaze to meet his and asked, “Then why did you pull away from me? Why didn’t you kiss me? You wanted to kiss me, right?”

“Of course I did,” he admitted stepping closer with urgency as need rose up inside of him. “But I couldn’t.”

“Why not?” she asked, the same desperation and urgency pulsing through her.

“Because I thought it over, and this,” he said gesturing between them, feeling his heart sink. “This can’t go anywhere. Nothing can ever happen between us.”

“Who says nothing can happen?” she asked, as tears filled her eyes.

“It’s the way things are.”

“No.”

“Yes,” he replied sternly. “You’re a Princess. A real-life Princess. You’re royalty. You’re special. And I’m the guy who’s in the wrong timeline with the sketchy past. I’m the guy who’s training the soldiers. I’m the help. I won’t drag your name through the dirt by being associated with me. I won’t have people making remarks about you or judging you because you’re with me. You’re too good for me.”

“That’s not true.”

“People will talk.”

“So what?”

“ _So what_ is easy for you to say,” he said, out of spiralling frustration. “I have nowhere to go. If I lay one hand on you, and your brother finds out, I’m done here. He’ll ask me to leave.”

“You don’t know that,” she said, her voice cracking. “You can’t know that.”

“I know that I can’t have this with you,” he supplied sadly. “I thought I could. When it’s just the two of us talkin’ or joking around in your lab, or taking a walk; just spending time together. When it’s just us, I can almost trick myself into believing that I can have you. But I can’t. I can’t have what I want.”

“So, I can’t have what I want, either?”

“For god’s sake,” he said loudly. “You don’t want me, Shuri. Not really. And you shouldn’t flirt with me and buy me gifts, and give me hope, when there isn’t any. How could there be any? How could you want me?”

That stung her. He watched as she drew in a deep breath.

“Don’t tell me what I want,” she replied, just as passionately.

He did not like hurting her, and the words he spoke were more to convince himself than they were to dissuade her. Their emotions were high, and the tension between them, thick. He came to the hasty realization that if he said something that caused her to be angry with him, it would be easier to walk away.

“You’re young,” he said, softer this time.

“Great,” she said. “Here we go. The _you’re too young to know what you want_ lecture.”

“That’s not what I mean,” he said. “You’ve got a lot of growing to do. This little crush, it’ll go away. The recruits will graduate, and I won’t get attention from other women, and you’ll forget that I even exist. You’ll move on. You’ll find someone else to joke around with and have your flirty words with –”

“Excuse me?” she asked, disbelievingly. “What did you just say? That I’m only giving you attention because other women have, too?”

“Well, what is it, then?” he asked, annoyed now. “You see them flirt with me one time –”

“So, you admit they were flirting?”

“Christ, Shuri,” he said. “It’s not about them, it’s about – it’s about you treatin’ me like your little science project right up until another woman shows any kind of interest in me.”

“Wow,” she said, backing away from him. “You’re an asshole.”

“Shuri –”

“No, James!” she snapped. “You don’t get to invalidate my feelings, and cheapen my intentions towards you, just because you can’t see your own worth. I’m sorry you don’t have a lot of self-esteem, but don’t you ever make it sound like I treat you like an object for my own amusement or interests.”

“Shuri.”

“Stop, please,” she supplied. “I cannot even believe you think so little of me, of my affections.”

“Princess –”

“Don’t,” she offered. “I’m done.”

“Shuri,” he pleaded.

“No, Bucky,” she offered. “This is too much. I thought we had _something_ , but I was wrong.”

After that, the Princess wiped her eyes and walked away; her heart felt heavier than it had ever been. She exited the gym and made her way hastily to her quarters where she could be alone. She did not see the tears welling in Bucky’s eyes as he watched her flee.  

**Author's Note:**

> Next Time:
> 
> “How on earth did someone do even the slightest bit of damage?” she asked, more to herself than to him.  
> “It’s my fault,” he offered. “I let them use the vibranium weapons. It was probably too soon.”  
> “Oh, I know it’s your fault,” she chided, still annoyed with him. Bucky let out a small yet exhausted sigh. “Which one was it? Tiana or Anakin?”  
> “Shuri –”  
> “I know it had to be one of them,” she continued. “Probably batted their lashes at you and you handed the spears over.”


End file.
